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A bit of celebration

A bit of taste

A bit of Community

Welcome to Celetastity

A celebration of food, entertainment and family fun will come to life Aug. 30 with the first annual Celetastity at Blackberry Farm.

Celetastity offers a little bit of everything – and a lot of fun –
for entire family on Aug. 30

Celebration. Taste. Community.

Put them together, and you have Celetastity. Pronounced Sell-A-Taste-It-eee, it has a festive ring.

It sounds fun. And that’s the idea. Celetastity is a new, end-of-season festival to celebrate one final taste of summer before the calendar turns with a community-wide gathering at Blackberry Farm.

Celetastity: A Festival at the Farm debuts Aug. 30 with fun and festivities from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. An exciting day of food, beverages, entertainment, live music and kids’ games awaits fest-goers.

“This event will bring people together to celebrate the uniqueness of our communities,” said Laurie Hoffman, director of Recreation and Communications for the Fox Valley Park District, which has partnered with the Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce to stage the event.

Family entertainment will rule the day, with a full slate of activities that take advantage of all the amenities Blackberry Farm has to offer. Attractions include unlimited rides on the popular steam-engine replica train and relaxing hay wagon rides behind a real farm tractor. Kids will delight in the merry-go-round carousel rides. Pony rides will also be available, though on a limited basis to provide the young ponies time to rest between rides.

Arts and crafts activities will be in abundance, with something for everybody. Kids can make a candle, braid a bracelet, create woodwork, design a bookmark, shell corn and practice script writing, among many other activities.

All of Blackberry Farm’s living history places – the Discovery Barn, Pioneer Cabin, Wagner House, Pottery Shop, Blacksmith Shop, Spinning and Weaving Cabin, One-Room School House, Victorian Huntoon House and the five museums – will be open during Celetastity.

The “Kid Korner” will keep the young ones excited. Shore fishing is available all day on Lake Gregory, with bamboo poles and bait provided free. Other kids’ activities will include crafts, sand art, farm bingo with prizes, Sci-Tech hands-on experiments, inflatables, pedal tractor course and face painting.

Hourly activities for kids are offered, including checkers tournaments, corncob dolls and craft bag decorating. Ozzie the Cougar will be hand at 11 a.m., during which time a nature show will also take place, featuring friendly critters from the Red Oak Nature Center.

Adults can have their fun and games, too, with a series of bags tournaments and contests.

Food vendors will showcase the community’s diversity, with a variety of ethnic offerings and traditional favorites. Amid the smoky barbecue grills and their taste-temping aromas, a beverage area will serve Miller products, with beer tickets available for $3 apiece.

The sweet sounds of summer music will provide a backdrop of feel-good tunes. It begins at noon with the Steel Crazy Steel Drum Band and their tropical, island rhythms. We Valedictorian – a trio of talented 16-year-olds – will play their upbeat music at 1:30 p.m.

At 3 p.m., local favorite August – a 14-piece, horn-driven band - will take its big sound onto the main stage. They will be followed by Leslie Hunt of American Idol fame at 5 p.m. for a performance of rock, soul, jazz and pop songs. Headliner The Ides of March takes the stage at 7 p.m. to perform such hits as “Vehicle” and “L.A. Goodbye.”

Admission to Celetastity is available at the door. Prices are $10 for adults (18 and up) and $7 for children (ages 5 to 17). Children ages 4 and under are free.

Parking is available at Blackberry Farm and Splash Country Water Park, located directly across from Blackberry Farm on Barnes Road.

Expect to experience a little bit of everything … and a lot of fun!

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“This is an event meant to bring people together to celebrate the uniqueness of our communities,” said Laurie Hoffman, director of Recreation and Communications for the Fox Valley Park District.

“We’re looking to make this a nice, long-term event to celebrate the end of summer each year,” said Joseph Henning, chief executive officer of the Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce.

A full day of family activities, performers and entertainment is planned for Saturday (Aug. 30). Among the attractions are specialty food and beverage tents, arts and crafts, children’s contests and games, hay rides, train rides, pony rides and carousel rides.

A trio of bands will provide live music beginning mid-afternoon with August, a horn-driven band performing its eclectic mix of rock and roll, soul and rhythm and blues. Leslie Hunt of American Idol takes the stage around 5 p.m. Legendary band The Ides of March - famous for their song “Vehicle” – will cap the festivities Saturday night.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Admission is $10 for adults (age 18 and above) and $7 for youth ages 5 to 17. Children age 4 and under are free.

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